Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-11-26

he instantly declared that he would 60 to
Venice in the interest Of his theatre. The
circumstances related to him contained valu-
able hints for ghost drama. The title &C.
CURED to him in the railway: "The Haunted
Hotel" Post that in red letters six feet high,
on black ground, all over London, and trust
the excitable public to crowd into the theatrei
Received with the politest attention by the
manager, Francis met with disappointment
on entering the hotel "Some mistake, sir.
No such room on the first floor as Number
Fourteen. The room bearing that number is
on the second floor, and has been occupied by
me from the day when the hotel opened.
Perhaps you meant No. 13A, on the first doori
1t will be at your service to-morrow-a
charming room. In the meantime, we will
do the best we can for you tonight" |
A man who Is the successful manager Of
theatre is probably tine last man in the civil |
lied universe who is capable of being i'm |
pressed with favorable opinions of his fellow |
creatures. Francis privately set the mama
ger down as humbug, and the story about |
the numbering of the room as lie.
On the day Of his arrival he dined by him |
self in the restaurant, before the hour of the |
table d'hots, for the express purpose Of
questioning the waiter without being over
beard by anybody The answer led him TO
the conclusion that "lSA" occupied the situa-
ton in the hotel which had been described by
his brother as the situation of IA" He asked
next for the visitors list, and found that the
French gentleman who then occupied "iSAo
was the proprietor of theatre in Paris, per-
sonally well known to him. Was the gentle
man then in the hotel He had gone ont, but
would certainly return for the table dhote.
When the public dinner was over, Francis
entered the room, and was welcomed by his
Partisan colleague literally with open arms
"Come and have cigar in my ROOM said
the friendly Frenchman. II want to hear
whether yol have really engaged that woman
at Milan or not" in this easy way Francis
found bis opportunity of comparing the int
rior of the room with the description which
he had heard of it at Milan.
| Arriving at the door. the Frenchman be-
| thought himself of his travelling companion.
| My scene painter is here with me, he said,
| son the lookout for materials An excellent
| fellow, who viii take it as kindness if We
| ask him to join u.s. I'll tell the porter to
| send him up when he comes in" He handed
| the key of his room to Francis. II will be
back in a minute It's at the end of the cor
| ridor-l3A"
Francis entered the room alone. There
were the decorations on the walls and the
ceiling, exactly as they had been described to
| himl He had just time to perceive this at a
glance, before his attention was diverted to
| himself and his own sensations by a grotes-
quely disagreeable occurrence which took him
completely by surprise.
He became conscious of a mysteriously
offensive odor in the room, entirely new in
his experience of revolving smells. 1t was
composed liz such thing could be) of two
mingling exhalations, which were separately
discoverable exhalations, nevertheless This
strange blending of odors consisted of some
thing family and unpleasantly aromatic,
mixed with another underlying smell, so I'M
utterahly sickening that he threw open the
window and put his head out into the fresh
air. unable to endure the horribly infected
atmosphere for moment longer.
The French proprietor joined his English
friend with his cigar already lit. He started
back in dismay at sight terrible to bis
countrymen in general-the sight of an open
window "You English people are perfectly
mad on the subject of fresh air!" be ex-
claimed. I'VE shall catch our deaths of cold. "
Francis turned and looked at him IN aston
ishment. Are you really not aware of the
smell there is in the roomf' he asked.
"SmelIr repeated his brother manager 81
smell my own good cigar. Try ons yourself.
And for heavens sake shut the Window
Francis declined the cigar by sign. For
give me" he said al will leave you to ciose
the window feel faint and giddy-I had
3 better go out" He put bis handkerchief over
Q his nose and mouth aud crossed the room Il
. the door
8 The Frenchman followed the movements Of
Q Francis i'll such state of bewilderment thai
4 he actually forgot to seize the opportunity Of
t shutting out the fresh air. as it so nasty a!
t thatY' he asked, with broad stare of amaze
r ment
4 "Horriblei" Francis muttered behind hi
d handkerchief Al never smelled anything lik
l. 1t in my lifel'
r There WAS Il knock at the door. The seem
painter appeared. His employer Instant,
asked him if he smelled anything.
l. a smell your cigar Deliciousl Give III
e one Directly"
n swat minute Besides my cigar, do yol
10 smell anything else-vile, ahominable, over
$. towering, indescribable, never-never- neve
d sInelled befores"
le The scene painter appeared to be puzzle.
d by the vehement energy of the language ad
= dressed to him. "The room Is as fresh an
is sweet as room can be, he answered. As h
g, spoke he looked back with establishment a
er Francis Westwick, standing outside in tn
1t corridor, and cycling the interior of the bel
70 chamber with an expression Of undisguise
is disgust
,e The Partisan director approached his Eng
m lish colleague and looked at him with gray
lie and anxious scrutiny.
10 "You see my friend, here are two of u.
in with as good hoses as yours, who smell noti
or ing Ii you want evidence from more nose:
lg look there!" He pointed to two little Engls
girls at play in the corridor. The door c
's my room is wide open-and you know ho'
fast q smell can travel Now listen, while
4, appeal to these innocent noses, in the Ian
~ guage of their own dismal island. My littl
90 loves, do you sniff a nasty smell here-bai
The children burst out laughing, and al
~ swared, empbaticaily, "No." MY good Yves
be wick" the Frenchman resumed, In his ow
language, "ths conclusion Is surely plail
Id There is something wrong, very wrong, wit
n your own nose / recommend you to see
e- medical man."
ct Having given that advice, he returned |
he his room, and shut out the horrid fresh a
Of with loud exclamation of relief Franc
to left the hotel by the lanes that led to Il
Ie Square of St. Mark. The night breeze SOC
in revived him. He was able tc light ciga
We and to think quietly over what had happene
u fro BE CONTINUED